On Wednesday, the organization Save the Children warned that around 230,000 children and pregnant or recently delivered women are "threatened by starvation" in war-torn Sudan, which has been embroiled in conflict for nearly a year between the army and rapid support forces. The ongoing fighting has resulted in thousands of deaths and has displaced 8 million people, according to the United Nations. This has plunged Sudan into "one of the worst food situations in the world," as stated by the local director of Save the Children, Aref Noor, in a statement.
According to the NGO, "over 2.9 million children suffer from malnutrition, with an additional 729,000 children under five suffering from acute malnutrition," which is the most severe form of hunger. At the beginning of March, the World Food Program warned that the ongoing war in Sudan "could lead to the world's largest hunger crisis" in a country already experiencing the largest displacement crisis internationally.
The bombing of civilians, destruction of infrastructure, rape, looting, forced displacement, and burning of villages have become daily practices affecting 48 million Sudanese. Noor stated that the consequences extend over the long term, explaining that "the lack of a farming season last year means no food today, and not planting seeds today means no food tomorrow." He emphasized that "the cycle of hunger continues to worsen, with no escape in sight, only more misery," while more than half of Sudanese, including 14 million children, currently require humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations.
